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GRAPHIC DESIGNERS TO DISCUSS DESIGN, MARKETING AND BUSINESS STRATEGIES TO ATTRACT AND MAINTAIN CLIENTS IN HIGHLY COMPETITIVE MARKET

Featured Speakers at March NJ Creatives/S.W.A.N. Meeting
to Address Both Print and Web Design Issues

          Paramus, NJ --February 26, 2004— Good graphic design plays a crucial role in grabbing a reader’s attention and in complementing copy for maximum impact and appeal.   It has the power to evoke emotions, both positive and negative, and to enhance a client’s message, while captivating viewers. Graphic artists have a seemingly endless array of choices to create the right design to enrich and enliven the content and tone of copy -- from complex, hard-hitting, bold and colorful to simple, soft, subtle and subdued. How do graphic artists mesh content with design? What drives their choices in both print and web media? What techniques do they use to come up with the best possible design for a client?

            On Wednesday, March 10^th, at the Bergen Museum of Art and Science, located on the lower level of the Bergen Mall, graphic designers Wayne Pollack, Peter Adler and Ted DeCagna will answer these and many other design, business and marketing questions at the NJ Creatives/S.W.A.N. (Self-employed Writers and Artists Network) meeting. Networking begins at 7:15 p.m., the program at 7:45 p.m. The meeting is free for NJ Creatives/S.W.A.N. members and $8 at the door for guests.

             In addition to discussing technical and artistic design issues for both print and web media, the speakers, all members of NJ Creatives/S.W.A.N., will also address business and marketing issues.

             Pollack will speak about designer liability, protection against project errors, “detailing” client estimates, and adjusting client fees. He will also touch on essential marketing issues of finding and maintaining clients, a subject relevant for all professional freelancers, whether writers or artists.

            In his talk, Adler will focus on website design and how to clearly communicate a client’s message. “I’ll be discussing why it's important for a designer to read and understand the website's strategy, objective and copy.  Better yet, I want to show how important it is for the designer to be a part of the process that develops the marketing strategy and copy so that the result will more likely be a website that communicates clearly, delivers a compelling sales message, and finally results in a good marriage of copy and design without the distractions of some trendy ‘look’.”

            Wayne Pollack is President of Pollack Design, a full-service consulting and marketing communications design studio. “For over 17 years, I have partnered with both major corporations and small businesses to help visually define their product and personality, creating successful graphic identities
that can be translated into any medium,” Pollack said. A past president, vice-president and exhibit director of S.W.A.N., Pollack is also a past member of the Advisory Council for Bergen Community College and a current member of the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA).

            Peter Adler is Creative Director of Peter Adler Advertising Design, LLC. His design studio creates websites, advertising, sales promotion, publication, point-of-purchase, direct mail and corporate image programs. Previously President - Creative Director, of Adler, Schwartz, Inc., an advertising and sales merchandising agency, Adler has received art direction awards from the AIGA, New York and New Jersey Art Directors Clubs, ANDY and The Type Directors Club. He has also taught graphic design at Bergen Community College, where he served as Chair of the Art Advisory Council. Adler is a founding member of the New Jersey Art Directors Club and a long time member of the New York Art Directors Club, where he now serves as President of the ADSF Scholarship Fund. A graduate of The Cooper Union (Bachelor of Fine Arts), New York University and The Brooklyn Museum Art School, Adler joined  NJ Creatives/S.W.A.N. just shortly after it began in 1984 and has been a member ever since.

            Ted DeCagna has over 23 years of graphic design experience, including six years at top New York design firms and New Jersey ad agencies. He has received 13 design awards of excellence and 29 of his logo designs have been published in major design annuals. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design and art direction at Pratt Institute, where he has taught as well. His representative clients are among the top Fortune 500.

            Begun in 1984 by three freelance professionals who wanted to exchange ideas and referrals, NJ Creatives (also known as S.W.A.N. - the Self-employed Writers and Artists Network) has grown into a successful non-profit, dues-paying organization that boasts a diverse and ever-increasing membership of talented professionals. Members include writers, designers of print and web media, illustrators, photographers, video producers and public relations specialists. To insure a high level of quality for clients, every applicant’s portfolio of work must first be evaluated by two NJ Creatives/S.W.A.N. reviewers before membership is approved.

            For more information on the March meeting, please contact NJ Creatives/S.W.A.N. President Stan Cohen at 201-384-9784, NJ Creatives/S.W.A.N.  Publicity Chair Donna Poler at 732-545-0624, or visit the Membership Section of the website at www.njcreatives.org. To find out more about joining NJ Creatives/S.W.A.N., please contact Membership Director George Kamper at 973- 394-9974. 

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